A/N: So I changed the picture, to more of what I've been imagining Charlotte to look like. Yes, that is Mackenzie Foy...AKA Renesmee from Breaking Dawn. She's the closest I've found to what I picture. I changed her eye color as well, so everything about her in this picture, is basically Charlotte. Also, FYI... there are plenty of twists with this story, that I'm still surprising myself with. I went on a writing spree not too long ago and wrote like four chapters in one night, so now I'm up to 24 and I can't wait for you guys to read what happens. It's taken a somewhat different direction than what I thought it would.

Please review!


Damon gave Elena a confused look. "I did?"

Elena nodded and threw her legs over the side of the bed, trying to steady her breathing. She couldn't really believe it herself.

"Are you going to tell me?" Damon asked her as he moved over in the bed so he could put his hand on her shoulder. Elena looked back at him and then looked down and bit her lip.

"It was your nephew, Zack."

Damon looked taken aback. "Really?"

Elena shook her head in disbelief and stood up. "It seems totally out of character for him. I mean, I didn't know him very well, but I didn't think he would be capable of doing something like that."

"I agree." Damon shook his head. "Something doesn't add up."

They sat in silence for several minutes before they realized the sun was starting to rise.

"We should probably wake them up." Elena suggested.

Damon nodded and moved to get dressed.

A few hours later, Elena and Charlotte sat in the backseat while Damon drove and Gia rode shotgun.

"So, you guys have been pretty quiet." Gia said suddenly. Charlotte had fallen asleep and Elena was softly stroking her hair. Damon look in the rear view mirror and exchanged glances with Elena.

"Sorry." Elena finally said. "That's my fault. I woke up from a nightmare this morning and it kind of put me into this weird funk."

"Gia," Damon started. "We think Charlotte is your sister."

"What?!" Elena and Gia exclaimed at the same time. Charlotte stirred for a moment before falling back asleep almost instantly.

Damon sighed. "Zack is Gia's father, and if you're remembering correctly, then Zack is Charlotte's father too which would make Gia and Charlotte half-sisters."

"Oh my God!" Gia said quietly as she processing what Damon was telling her.

"But," Elena started. "I thought Zack didn't have any kids that he knew about."

"He was young." Gia told her. "When he found out my mom was pregnant he wanted her to get an abortion. He didn't want to have a child to be raised where vampires were a constant threat. My mother wanted to have me, so Zack arranged for her to live with Uncle Damon until I was born and he asked to be compelled to forget about us. My mother died in childbirth and my parents were actually some distant relatives."

"What happened to them?" Elena asked.

"Well," Damon picked up the story. "I lived with them in Washington at the time, but I still moved around a lot. When Gia was 17, actually, the night I met you, after I dropped you off at home, I was attacked by a hunter. Before I snapped his neck, he told me that her parents were the ones who called him and told him where I would be. I've always had anger issues. So, I took Gia to Italy with me and that's where you met her."

"But from everything I've heard about Zack, for him to do that to you...it's so..."

"Out of character?" Elena offered. Gia nodded. "I know. Something tells me we don't have the whole story."

"Have you thought about how you want to tell people about Charlotte?" Gia asked.

Elena shrugged. "I don't. I don't want want people to know."

"Why not?" Damon asked her.

"Two reasons. One, is kind of selfish, but I feel like it's a personal thing that the four of us went through together, and I don't want to let anyone else in on it. And two, the less people that know, the better chance we have of keeping it a secret from the Originals."

"So," Gia asked, "Are we lying, or just not telling them the truth."

Damon chuckled. "That's the same thing."

"That's not what I mean." Gia groaned. "I mean, are we just not going to explain who she is until someone asks, or are we coming up with some kind of story? I'm perfectly fine with either, I just need to know."

Elena looked down sadly. "No one can know who she is. Stefan doesn't know about you, right?" Gia shook her head. "Damon can introduce you two as his nieces—the more truth to the lie, the easier it is to believe and remember, for that matter. Charlotte will be your niece as well. Her parents were your sister and brother-in-law. They were killed by vampires and you were left to watch her. You called Damon to help you out, and I wanted to get out of the house, so I came with him. It turns out that I stayed with your family when I did the exchange program in Italy, and since then, you've learned to speak English very well."

"Sounds like you put a lot of thought to that." Damon told her.

"I've been thinking about it since this morning."

"What about you and Charlotte?" Gia asked. "What if she calls you 'mommy' or something around everybody?"

"We'll talk to her about it. Convince her to call me 'Elena', but if she slips up, we'll just say that I look a lot like your sister. But we won't tell everybody this all at once. Only if the question comes up. Telling too much too soon, may give us away. When we get back, we'll just introduce you two as Damon's nieces and leave it at that."

There was silence before a moment before Gia whispered, "I'm sorry."

Elena looked up at her. "What for?"

"For everything that's happened. Your life is so messed up. I just feel sorry for you."

Elena sighed and nodded. "Me too."